KR102018973B1 - Cleaning Supplies with Multilayer Collection Strip Elements - Google Patents

Abstract

Cleaning supplies. The cleaning article has a laminate configuration. The cleaning article includes a sheet and a hydrophilic collection strip element bonded together at the elongate junction. The collection strip element has a plurality of layers folded on each other to provide strips extending outward from the junction. The folded layers provide a configuration that allows the strips to advantageously provide a dynamically changing area on the object surface during cleaning under normal use conditions. By changing the surface area, more liquid and associated debris can be cleaned from the object surface.

Description

Cleaning Supplies with Multilayer Collection Strip Elements

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to cleaning articles, and more particularly, to cleaning articles for absorbing cleaning fluid from a target surface.

Various cleaning products have been created for dusting and light cleaning. For example, cloth rags and paper towels used in the dry state or wetted with polishing and cleaning compositions may be used for countertops, showers, sinks, and floors. It was used on relatively flat surfaces such as However, pieces of cloth and paper towels may be inaccessible to hygiene (your hands may come in contact with chemicals, dirt or surfaces during cleaning), reach (reachable with hands with cloth pieces or paper towels). Problems exist for reasons such as being difficult to put in and discomfort (cleaning between closely spaced items typically requires the movement of the items).

In order to overcome the problems associated with the use of cloth and paper towels, a variety of reusable dust collection devices using felt and hair are disclosed in US Pat. No. 823,725, issued to Hayden in 1906. It has been used for over a century using yarn as illustrated and as illustrated in US Pat. No. 4,145,787. In order to solve the problems associated with reusable dust collection devices, disposable cleaning articles with limited reusability have been developed. These disposable cleaning articles are described in US Pat. No. 6,813,801; US Patent No. 7,003,856; US Patent 7,566,671; U.S. Patent 7,779,502; U.S. Patent 7,937,797; US Patent No. 8,146,197; US Patent No. 8,151,402; US Patent No. 8,161,594, US Patent No. 8,186,001; US Patent No. 8,245,349; US Patent No. 8,528,151; As shown in US Pat. No. 8,756,746 and US Pat. No. 8,763,197, it may include a brush portion made of a bundle of synthetic fibers called tow fibers that are attached to a sheet.

Disposable dusters may provide wet cleaning as disclosed in US Pat. No. 7,566,671 and commonly assigned US Pat. No. 7,803,726 and commonly assigned US Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0028560. However, the tow fibers may be entangled when wet, and may not be suitable for cleaning large or significantly wet surfaces such as floors. Thus, dusters may not be suitable for cleaning very large or significantly soiled surfaces.

To overcome the problem of large and / or fairly wet surfaces, mops have been used that are repeatedly wetted and poured into the liquid container. However, these mops can saturate and re-deposit large amounts of dirty liquid on the floor. Thus, disposable floor sheets have been developed. Such bottom sheets may contain large amounts of absorbent cellulose as disclosed in US Pat. No. 7,191,486 and US Pat. No. 7,721,381, and may include at least two inner sheets as disclosed in US Pat. No. 9,032,577. Floor sheets are commonly assigned US Pat. No. 5,960,508; US Patent No. 6,003,191; As disclosed in US Pat. No. 6,048,123 and US Pat. No. 6,766,552, AGM can be included to further aid in liquid absorption and retention. However, if insoluble clay is not removed from the floor or if soluble clay is insufficiently absorbed by the floor sheet, streaking and / or filming may occur.

One attempt to overcome this problem is seen in a microfiber cleaning pad. The microfiber pad may be nylon and is intended to be washed and reused. However, as discussed below, microfiber pads can damage the bottom and still leave filming / streaking.

This problem is exacerbated by some of the newer floorings. For example, some new floorings are relatively dark in color. Newer floors may have relatively high gloss levels and / or may be difficult to wet during cleaning due to surface energy. This property can emphasize the filming / streaking remaining on the floor after wet cleaning, even if no damage occurs to the floor.

Another attempt to make a cleaning pad incorporates both hydrophobic and hydrophilic properties as disclosed in US Pat. No. 7,694,379 and commonly assigned US Pat. No. 7,480,956. Other attempts include free floating cuffs, as disclosed in commonly assigned US Pat. No. 7,028,364. Other related attempts in the art are described in US Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0300991; US Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0041274; US Patent No. 6,245,413; US Patent No. 6,681,434; US Patent No. 6,701,567; US Patent No. 7,458,128; US Patent No. 7,624,468; US Patent No. 8,341,797; US Pat. No. 8,707,505 and US Pat. No. 8,863,347.

While these attempts relate to the absorption of liquid from wet surface, especially from the bottom, problems remain. The generally flat bottom sheet provides the same surface throughout the cleaning operation. If the bottom sheet is saturated, dirt may redeposit. And a generally flat bottom sheet may not adequately clean into a bottom gap or grout line. If reusable microfiber floor pads are used, damage to the floor can occur.

Accordingly, there is a need for a generally flat disposable cleaning article that is usable on wet surfaces and provides a surface that changes dynamically throughout the cleaning operation.

The present invention includes a cleaning article having a laminate configuration. The cleaning article includes a sheet and a hydrophilic gather strip element bonded together at an elongate junction. The collecting strip element comprises a plurality of superimposed layers folded on each other. The plurality of layers have strips extending outward from the junction.

1 is an exploded perspective view of a cleaning article according to the present invention.
2A is a vertical sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1, shown to scale.
2B is a vertical cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment cleaning article having an inverted pyramid geometry.
3 is a broken bottom view of an alternative embodiment having a non-linear center junction and an inverted pyramid geometry with an upper portion having a sinusoidal junction and a lower portion having a point junction.
4A is a bottom view of an alternative embodiment with two center junctions.
4B is a vertical sectional view taken along line 4B-4B in FIG. 4A.
5A-5G are vertical cross-sectional views of alternative embodiments of collection strip elements each having two sheets of material, shown to scale.
6 is a perspective view of a handle usable with the present invention.
7 is a perspective view of a floor cleaning tool usable with the present invention.
8 is a graph of streaking and filming performance of commercially available floor sheets and samples according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the cleaning article 10 may be generally elongate and rectangular, although other shapes are contemplated and feasible. The cleaning article 10 may include two or more components that are combined in a laminate form to provide a cleaning article 10 suitable for floor cleaning. The cleaning article may have a sheet 12, which forms a frame for attachment of other components to the sheet. The cleaning article 10 may also have a gather strip element 25 having a plurality of layers 27 of flexible strips 17 that are laminated and extend outwardly. An absorbent core can be disposed between the collecting strip element 25 and the sheet 12.

The cleaning article 10 may be disposable. Disposable means that the cleaning article 10 is disposed of after one cleaning operation, or generally several square meters or less. In contrast, the reusable cleaning article 10 is washed or otherwise restored after use.

The cleaning article 10 has at least two, more preferably at least three, four or more laminas that are bonded / folded in the form of a laminate. The seat 12 may also provide attachment to the floor cleaning tool as described below. As used herein, unless otherwise specified, "coupled" includes a direct contact relationship between two components and a relationship with an intermediate component between them.

The cleaning article 10 may have a longitudinal axis LA and a transverse axis TA orthogonal thereto. The cleaning article 10 and its respective components may have two longitudinal edges 20 parallel to the longitudinal axis LA and two transverse edges 22 parallel to the transverse axis TA. Can be.

As discussed below, the strip 17 may advantageously be included substantially or preferably completely within the footprint of the sheet 12. In particular, the distal end of the strip 17 is contained within a footprint defined by two longitudinal edges 20 and two transverse edges 22 of the sheet 12 and bounded by the footprints. Can lose. This arrangement promotes the mobility of the strip 17 in use, and due to the direct pressure the strip 17 receives when the user presses the cleaning tool against the floor, the dynamic surface area of the cleaning article 10 in the object surface in use. It is believed to provide a dynamic surface area.

The length of the cleaning article 10 is taken in the longitudinal direction. The width of the cleaning article 10 corresponds to the transverse direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and disposed in the plane of the sheet 12. Thickness is defined as dimension in the Z-direction. The XY plane is defined as the plane defined by the cleaning article 10. The Z-direction of the cleaning article 10 is the direction perpendicular to the plane of the sheet. The cleaning article 10 may have a length of 20-50 cm and a width of 10-20 cm. The cleaning article may be 30 +/- 2 cm in length and 14 +/- 2 cm in width, as measured below, in order to fit into the head of a typical cleaning tool 70, as discussed below. . The optional core may in particular have a width of 6.5 +/- 2 cm and a length of 26 +/- 2 cm. Of course, those skilled in the art will recognize that other shapes are feasible and within the scope of the present invention.

The cleaning article 10 may have an outwardly facing cleaning side and an attachment side opposite it. The attachment side of the cleaning article 10 may have one or more attachment stripes 30 for attaching to the head of the tool, for example two parallel stripes 30 are illustrated. The stripe 30 may comprise a loop material suitable for complementary attachment to the head of the cleaning tool having a hook.

The cleaning article 10 can be thought of as having one thin layer or having two, three or more thin layers joined in a face to face relationship. The thin layer can be refolded in a serpentine manner to provide a plurality of thin layers in the Z-direction.

More specifically, the cleaning article may comprise a configuration of at least one sheet 12 and at least one collection strip element 25. The sheet 12 and the collecting strip element 25 are joined in a face to face relationship by at least one permanent joint to form a laminate.

The sheet 12 may serve as a chassis for the attachment of the collecting strip element 25 to the sheet. Other thin layers and features may be interposed between the sheet 12 and the collection strip element 25 without departing from the invention.

The sheet 12 may in particular comprise a synthetic nonwoven sheet 12. The sheet 12 with synthetic fibers provides a convenient coupling of the collecting strip element 25 to the sheet. Nonwovens include spun bonded, carded and airlaid materials as known in the art and made from synthetic fibers. Suitable nonwoven sheets can be made according to commonly assigned US Pat. No. 6,797,357.

Preferably, sheet 12 includes cellulose to provide absorbent capacity. The cellulose sheet 12 may have a permanent wet strength resin added to the sheet, as known in the art. Alternatively, the sheet 12 may comprise a mixture of cellulose fibers and synthetic fibers, preferably to provide both absorbent and barrier properties, and for convenient bonding of the collection strip elements 25. . By cellulose it is meant that the component comprises a significant weight percentage of cellulose fibers.

The sheet 12 and / or collection strip element 25 may advantageously be hydrophilic to absorb water from the surface being cleaned. Hydrophilic generally means that the component will absorb water in use and will retain such water in normal use without applying excessive compressive forces.

In particular, hydrophilic versus hydrophobic properties can be measured as follows. A 1 gram sample of material is oven dried at about 110 ° C. for 12 hours and then conditioned at 65% relative humidity / 21 ° C. for 5 days. The sample is then redried at 110 ° C. for 12 hours. The amount of moisture obtained is measured as a percentage of moisture content.

Moisture content = [(total conditioned sample weight at 65% RH—sample weight after drying) ÷ dried sample weight] × 100%.

As used herein, hydrophilic materials have a moisture content greater than 65% to about 2%, 3%, 4%, 5%, preferably greater than about 6%. Table 1 below shows a comparison of different fiber types to% moisture regain at equilibrium at 65% RH.

TABLE 1

Although hydrophilic materials may be useful in the invention described herein, such materials may not even have sufficient strength for use in the disposable cleaning article 10. Therefore, the selection of a suitable material is important.

For example, if the collection strip 17 is 100% cellulose, the wet coefficient of friction can be so great that it is difficult for a user to move the cleaning article 10 across a particular object surface. By mixing different materials, the wet friction coefficient is optimized while the surface area for clay collection can be maintained. Similarly, even using collection strips 17 of various lengths having the same material can increase the cleaning surface area without excessively increasing the wet friction coefficient, providing ease of movement across the object surface.

2A and 2B, the sheet 12 may comprise two, three or more ply laminates. The laminate may in particular comprise three plies, an outward ply 12A for contacting the cleaning tool, a central ply / core 12B for absorption and an inward ply 12C for coupling to the collection strip element 25. have.

The outward ply 12A may comprise a hydroentangled spunbond nonwoven having a basis weight of 20 to 80 gsm. 45 gsm nonwovens from Avgol Nonwovens, Tel-Aviv, Israel, have been found to be suitable. As used herein, a nonwoven is a component having a mixture of airlaid and / or wetlaid fibers that are not woven together.

The central ply / core 12B can serve as a storage reservoir for absorbing and retaining liquid collected from the object surface by the collection strip element 25. The central ply / core 12B may comprise bicomponent cellulose / synthetic airlaid. Suitable are 135 gsm airlaids comprising 85:15 cellulose: bicomponent fibers, available from Suominen, Helsinki, Finland.

The central ply / core 12B may also include an absorbent gelling material (AGM) as known in the art. AGM can increase the retention of absorbed liquids and provide increased capacity of the cleaning article 10. The cleaning article 10 may be foam free to save cost.

Inward ply 12C may comprise a mixture of wet laid fibers formed from tissue bonded onto a synthetic nonwoven using processes such as spun lace or hydroentangling. The inward ply 12C may comprise 23 gsm tissue with 17 gsm polypropylene spunbond as a composite, sold under the name Genesis tissue by Suominen, Helsinki, Finland. If desired, a dedicated core 12B may be integrated into the cleaning article 10. Dedicated core 12B may be between any plies 12A, 12C of sheet 12, or may be disposed on an inward or outwardly oriented face of sheet 12. Core 12B may in particular comprise a central ply. Core 12B and / or additional / alternative central ply may be narrower than outward ply 12A and inward ply 12C. The core 12B and / or center ply may be approximately half the width of the outward ply 12A and inward ply 12C, and may be centered on the longitudinal axis. In particular, the width of the core 12B and / or the central ply may be less than or equal to the gap between the stripes 30 of the attachment material.

The width of the core 12B and / or the sheet 12 and the collecting strip element 25 is measured as follows. The cleaning article 10 is disposed on a flat horizontal surface. Wrinkles and other collapses for general flatness are smoothed. The cleaning article is kept taut by the fingertips. Steel Rule, Slide Calipers or Toolmakers' Grade Square, as commonly available from LS Starrett Co., Atoll, Massachusetts, USA. Is used to measure the width between the collecting strip 17 and the opposite ends of the core 12B. Outward plies 12A, 12C and layer 27 may be removed as needed to provide unobstructed access for measurement.

The width of the core 12B is measured in the transverse direction parallel to the transverse axis. If the core 12B has a variable width, the width is measured at the narrowest point. The width of the collecting strip element 25 is also measured transversely. The width of the collecting strip element 25 is measured between the distal ends of the opposing collecting strips 17 which are arranged opposite across the longitudinal axis and which lie in the XY plane. If the collecting strip elements 25, in particular the opposite ends of the collecting strips 17, have a variable width, the width is measured at the widest point. A difference in width of at least 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, or 14 cm that is equally divided across the longitudinal axis is considered suitable for the embodiments described herein.

The difference in width between the opposing collection strips 17 and the core 12B is to promote stability of the core 12B and / or the central ply 12B to retain the liquid delivered from the collection strip element 25. It is considered to be. This geometry is also believed to help drain the liquid absorbed from the collecting strip 17. It is also believed that this geometry provides a gap, which facilitates the movement of the collecting strip 17 to provide different portions thereof to the object surface in response to user movement of the cleaning article 10 during normal use.

The three plies 12A, 12B, 12C can be permanently joined together to form the sheet 12 using adhesive and / or thermal bonding as known in the art. Optional attachment stripes 30 of loop material may be coupled to the outward surface of outward ply 12A to removably couple cleaning article 10 to handle 60 or tool. Stripe 30 may be continuous or discontinuous.

Referring to FIG. 3, the cleaning article 10 may further include a hydrophilic collection strip 17 disposed within the collection strip element 25. As used herein, collection strips 17 refer to cantilevered strips that extend outwardly from the proximal ends to respective distal ends. Individual collection strip 17 may have a proximal end that is at or offset from the longitudinal centerline of article 10 and is adapted to provide an aspect ratio of at least 1, optionally 2 to 20, optionally 5 to 15 (lengthwise). It may have a length (measured transversely) greater than the corresponding width (as taken by). The collecting strip 17 is 3 to 15, 4 to 12 or especially 5 to 8 cm long, taken from its base end juxtaposed with the junction 38 to its distal end which can juxtapose with the transverse edge of the cleaning article. And width 3 to 20, 4 to 15 or in particular 6 to 8 mm. These particular dimensions have been found to be suitable for use in floor cleaning when using cleaning tools.

The collection strip lies in the XY plane as intended by the manufacturer, but may deform out of the XY plane due to deformations in use due to fluffing and / or movement against the object surface prior to use. The collection strip 17 may be integrated into one of the sheets 12 described herein or may be disposed on a separate sheet 12. The collection strip 17 may extend parallel to the width direction of the article or may be arranged at an acute angle with respect to the width direction. The collection strip 17 can be straight, curved or meandering as shown, or have any desired shape.

The collection strip element 25 may comprise the same material as described above for the inward ply 12C and may be particularly hydrophilic and more specifically comprise cellulose. The collecting strip element 25 and / or the sheet 12 may alternatively or additionally comprise microfibers as known in the art.

Referring again to FIGS. 2A and 2B, the collection strip element 25 may comprise one or more plies that are folded over themselves in a meandering manner. Such an arrangement provides a thickness of at least twice, three times or more. When layer 27 is cut into generally transversely oriented individual collecting strips, twice the thickness provides a loop at the distal end of the respective strip 17. This loop is considered advantageous because it helps to space the strips 17 overlapping in the Z-direction.

The folded configuration can be achieved with a c-fold as shown throughout the figures. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a c-fold can be cascaded to provide a z-fold, w-fold or other plurality of layer folds as known in the art and including a c-fold. will be.

The collection strip element 25 may comprise from 2 to 25, 5 to 20, in particular about 10 layers 27 of the collection strips 17, depending on the desired absorbing capacity and the texture of the intended target surface. have. The collecting strips 17 disposed on each edge, in particular longitudinal edges, advantageously provide a differential response during cleaning and reach and retain more debris predictively during cleaning. To loops at the free ends and the ends having a single thickness at the ends of the collecting strips 17.

In particular, the differential response of the collection strip is believed to provide the subject surface with a surface area that varies dynamically during cleaning, under normal use conditions. By changing the surface area, more liquid and associated debris can be cleaned from the object surface.

Non-limiting collection strip element 25 with three separate collection strip materials is shown. The top sheet closer to the sheet 12 is folded over itself to provide four collection strip layers 27. The two lower collection strips 17 are z-folded over them to provide three collection strip layers 27, respectively.

The sheet 12 and the collection strip element 25 may be joined by a plurality of joints 38 as described below. The junction 38 may be heat, adhesive or ultrasonic as known in the art.

The central junction 38 may combine all layers 27 / thin layers of the cleaning article 10 to ensure a single configuration and to prevent loss of individual components in use. The central junction 38 can be common to all layers 27 of the collection strip element 25, and directly or indirectly couples each layer 27 of the collection strip element 25 to the sheet 12. You can.

Two outboard bonds 38 are provided and are able to bond only the layers 27 of the collecting strip element 25 proximate the sheet 12. For the embodiment described herein, the outer junctions 38 can be laterally spaced apart by at least about 7 cm between centers such that the outer junctions are spaced outwardly of the core 12B and do not lie on the core. The outer junction 38, or central junction 38, is a secondary bond when such a bond only directly or indirectly couples a portion of the layers 27 of the collection strip element 25 to the sheet 12. 38 may be considered.

Typically, all the layers 27 of the collecting strip element 25 are joined to the sheet 12 by at least one junction 38. The layer 27 closest to the sheet 12 may be considered the first layer 27. Subsequent layers 27 are considered relatively close to sheet 12 and may in turn be considered second layer 27, third layer 27, fourth layer 27, and the like. The layer 27 further away from the sheet 12 and closest to or in contact with the bottom is considered to be the end layer 27.

The junction 38 may occupy the same space as the sheet 12 in the longitudinal direction or be slightly shorter than the sheet. In a less preferred embodiment, the outer bond can join only portions of the collection strip element 25 that are far from the sheet 12 and not close to the sheet 12.

This arrangement provides a relatively longer collection strip 17 on the object surface and a shorter collection strip inwardly of the object surface. Having collection strips of different length is believed to improve the cleaning effect by allowing the collection strips 17 to move independently of one another and to create a separation between the strips. Such separation between the collecting strips 17, in particular providing the collecting strips 17 in the superimposed layers, provides the surface to be cleaned with an area sufficient for the clay to be effectively collected and retained by the cleaning article 10. Is considered important. Thus, the layers 27 can be made by a single fold, a plurality of folds, or by simple overlapping without folds.

Referring again to FIG. 3, the collection strip elements 25 are all sinusoidal joints 38, zig-zag joints 38, or other non-linear joints collectively referred to as meandering joints 38. 38) to the sheet. This junction 38 pattern provides both relatively longer and relatively shorter individual collection strips 17. In addition, each of the collecting strips 17 has its own base end that is not parallel to the longitudinal axis. This geometry provides a base end that is believed to promote torsion and collapse of the collecting strip during cleaning.

Alternatively, the central junction 38 may comprise an array of separate junctions 38, as disclosed in commonly assigned European Application No. 15162895.5 (P & G Control No. 13742F). Separate junctions 38 are predicted to predictively facilitate the dynamically changing provision of collection strip elements 25 to the object surface during normal use.

The differential length collection strips 17 are believed to provide different strips 17 and / or portions thereof to the object surface in use. The irregular base ends of the collecting strips 17 are also believed to provide different strips 17 or portions thereof in the object surface in use.

In general, by providing different collection strips 17 and / or different portions of collection strips 17 to the object surface in use, it is believed that saturated portions of the cleaning article 10 do not remain in contact with the object surface. In use, different portions of the collection strip element 25 are provided to minimize redeposition and allow the unsaturated portions of the collection strip element 25 to contact and absorb and retain liquid from the object surface. By dynamically changing the effective portions of the collection strip element 25 in contact with the object surface, it is believed that improved cleaning occurs. Importantly, the dynamically changing effective portion of the collection strip element 25 automatically appears without user intervention other than the usual back and forth strokes that are part of normal cleaning.

Preferably, the cleaning article is free of tow fibers. Tow fibers tend to entangle and agglomerate when wet, reducing the cleaning effect. In a less preferred embodiment, however, the cleaning article may further comprise one or more thin layers of tow fibers. A thin layer of soil fiber may be coupled to the sheet 12 or the collection strip element 25 in a face to face relationship. The tow fiber thin layer may be suitable for and arranged for direct contact with the object surface during cleaning. Alternatively, a thin tow fiber layer may be disposed between the sheet 12 and the collection strip element 25.

Tow fibers may be composite. As used herein, "bundle fibers" and / or "tows" are synthetics including polyesters, polypropylenes, polyethylenes, bio-derived polymers such as polylactic acid, bio-polyethylenes, bio-polyesters, and the like. It refers to a fiber comprising a polymer. Tow fibers also include fibers from natural sources such as cellulose, cellulose acetate, flax, hemp, jute, and mixtures thereof, wherein the individual fibers are relatively long that are made in bundles. It is a strand. Bundle fibers can be defined as any fiber having distinct end points and a length of at least about 1 cm. The tow fibers may extend continuously and substantially transversely between the lateral edges of the article 10.

The sheet (s) 12, collection strip element 25 and optional tow fiber layer (s) may be joined by a plurality of permanent bonds 38. The junction 38 is intended to minimize or prevent stray or dislodged tow fibers from becoming coarse. Such sheet (s) 12, collection strip element 25 and tow fiber layer (s) may typically directly overlap one another with or without intervening members or components therebetween.

Bonding portion (s) 38 may be formed by adhesive bonding, thermal bonding, ultrasonic bonding, or the like. In thermal and ultrasonic bonding, energy and compression pressure are applied to the local junction 38 site. Synthetic sheet 12 and synthetic tow fibers are melted at such topical sites. When solidified again, the local material of the sheet 12 and the tow fibers harden together at such a localized site, forming a localized weld, which is the junction 38.

If desired, the sheet 12 may be covered by an outward liquid impermeable barrier. The barrier prevents the absorbed liquid from contacting the user's hands, tools, and the like. Suitable barriers include LDPE films as known in the art.

Referring to FIG. 2B, the collection strip element 25 may comprise a meandering folded member that decreases in width as it approaches the distal edge of the collection strip element 25. This geometry provides an inverted pyramidal configuration in use. Such a configuration of the collection strip element 25 may provide a plurality of layers 27 of the collection strip element 25 having a plurality of widths. These widths may decrease from the first layer 27 to the end layer 27, in particular the width may be monotonically reduced from the first layer 27 to the end layer 27. The inverted pyramidal configuration is predictably advantageously believed to provide more edges to the subject surface during cleaning.

4A and 4B, the cleaning article may be devoid of a common junction 38 that couples all layers 27 of the collection strip element 25 to the sheet 12. Instead, the first junction 38 may couple one or more base layers 27 to the sheet 12. The second junction 38 can couple the end layer 27 to the base layer 27 without directly bonding one or more end layers 27 to the sheet. This arrangement provides the advantage that, if the cleaning article 10 is particularly thick in the z-direction, the joint 38 through all its components is avoided.

To improve cleaning and increase the retention of absorbed debris, any of the sheet 12, collection strip element 25 and / or optional tow fiber layers may optionally be adhesive, wax, newton or non-Newtonian oil. Or a combination thereof, in whole or in part. If desired, the cleaning article 10 may optionally be used with a cleaning solution or other solution usable for other purposes, such as surface treatment for appearance or disinfectant. The cleaning solution may be pre-applied to the cleaning article 10 to produce the pre-wet cleaning article 10, or may be contained in a separate reservoir for administration on the cleaning article 10 and / or the surface of the subject. The cleaning solution may comprise most of the water and at least about 0.5, 2, 5 or 10% by weight solids, or at least about 30 or 50% by weight aqueous solvent, non-aqueous solution or mixtures thereof.

5A-5G, various alternative collection strip elements 25 are shown. While each collection strip element 25 is shown having two layers 25, those skilled in the art will recognize that the present invention is not so limited. The collection strip element 25 may have one, two, three or more layers 27 with junctions 38 as illustrated, or with different junctions 38. Those skilled in the art will also recognize that various combinations and blends of these embodiments can be combined into a single cleaning article 10 as desired.

Referring to FIG. 5A, the collection strip element 25 may comprise two sheets of material, each sheet having an open c-fold. This arrangement is believed to advantageously provide a generally symmetrical opposing geometry that assists in cleaning by predictive conventional back and forth movements and provides a cleaning article 10 of approximately the same thickness.

Referring to FIG. 5B, the collection strip element 25 may comprise two sheets of material, each sheet having a z-fold with shortened outer legs. Such an arrangement is believed to advantageously provide an opposing geometry that is predictably largely symmetrical. Each longitudinal edge of the cleaning article 10 has two free ends of the collection strip 17 and two c-folds providing the loop collection strip 17. This arrangement, which provides a generally constant thickness with both the loop end and the free end of the collecting strip 17, is believed to aid in cleaning by conventional back and forth movement.

5C, the collection strip element 25 may comprise two sheets of material, each sheet having a c-fold that is oriented in opposite directions. Such an arrangement is believed to advantageously provide an opposing geometry that is predictably largely symmetrical. Each longitudinal edge of the cleaning article 10 has two free ends of the collection strip 17 and a c-fold that provides a loop collection strip 17. This arrangement, which provides both the loop end and the free end of the collecting strip 17, is believed to aid in cleaning by conventional back and forth movement.

Referring to FIG. 5D, the collection strip element 25 may comprise two sheets of material, each sheet having c-folds oriented in the same direction. This arrangement is believed to advantageously provide a loop collection strip 17 on one longitudinal edge and a free end of the collection strip 17 on the other longitudinal edge. This arrangement providing different types of collection strips 17 is suitable for different cleaning operations.

Referring to FIG. 5E, the collection strip element 25 may comprise two sheets of material, each sheet having a z-fold with shortened outer legs and arranged to provide a W-fold. . This arrangement is believed to advantageously provide two outward loop collection strips on each longitudinal edge of the cleaning article 10.

Referring to FIG. 5F, the collection strip element 25 may comprise two sheets of interfolded material. Such an arrangement is believed to advantageously provide an opposing geometry that is predictably largely symmetrical. Each longitudinal edge of the cleaning article 10 has a single free end of the collection strips 17 having a thicker central area and a c-fold that provides a loop collection strip 17. Having a thicker central area is believed to have collection strips 17 that predictably move and provide different surface areas relative to the floor when in use.

Referring to FIG. 5G, collection strip element 25 may include two or more independent meandering layers 27. Each collection strip element 25 may be coupled to the sheet 12 by a dedicated joint 38. Each such collection strip element 25 may in turn have two outwardly extending banks of collection strips 17. This arrangement provides the advantage that additional collection strips 17 are available and that the inwardly oriented collection strips 17 can be intertwined during use. Having different collection strips 17 with predictively different functionality is believed to increase the amount of dynamic surface area provided to the floor in use.

Of course, those skilled in the art will appreciate that combinations and combinations of the foregoing alternatives are feasible and contemplated herein. For example, the cleaning article 10 may have two or more seams 38. One such seam 38 may be straight, or all seams 38 may be non-linear. For example, if three seams 38 are used, the seams 38 may be symmetrically opposed and meandering, while the center seams 38 are straight. Alternatively, a single collection strip element 25 can be joined to the sheet by a plurality of seams.

Referring to FIG. 6, the cleaning article 10 may be removably attachable to the handle 60. In particular, the attachment system may provide for removable attachment of the cleaning article 10 to an optional suitable handle 60. The cleaning article 10 attachment system and optional complementary handle 60 attachment may include adhesive bonding, cohesive joining, mechanical engagement through the sleeve, and the like. One common attachment system includes a sleeve into which the tine (s) of the handle 60 can be inserted. Suitable handles 60 are disclosed in commonly assigned US Pat. No. 8,578,564 and design patent D674,949 S.

Referring to FIG. 7, the cleaning article 10 may be removably attachable to the tool 70. In particular, the floor cleaning tool 70 may allow the floor to be cleaned while the user is standing upright, and may also provide a spray of a cleaning solution or other liquid to the floor. A typical floor cleaning tool 70 has a handle 72 for the user to grasp and a head 74 attached to the handle, preferably pivotably attached to the handle. Head 74 moves against the floor, or another object surface. The cleaning tool 70 may be removably attached to the bottom of the head. Preferably, the strip 17 is bounded by the footprint of the head 74 in use to facilitate dynamic movement of the strip 17 during cleaning.

Removable attachment of the cleaning article 10 to the tool 70 can be accomplished using adhesives, hook and loop systems, and grippers. Grippers and suitable cleaning tools 70 are disclosed in commonly assigned US Pat. No. 6,484,356. Suitable vacuum tools 70 are disclosed in US Pat. No. 7,137,169. US Pat. No. 5,888,006, which is commonly assigned a suitable spray tool; US Patent No. 5,988,920; US Patent No. 6,842,936; US Patent No. 7,182,537; US Patent 7,536,743; US Pat. No. 7,676,877 and US Pat. No. 8,186,898.

The cleaning article 10 may also be used manually without the handle 60 or the tool 70. If desired, various cleaning articles 10 described herein can be packaged and sold in a kit. This arrangement provides the benefit that the user selects different cleaning articles 10 for different tasks. For example, if desired, multiple sizes of cleaning articles 10 may be sold together as a single kit. This arrangement allows the user to select the particular cleaning article 10 that is most suitable for the task at hand.

The cleaning article 10 of the present invention is believed to address the unmet need to clean modern wood / laminates. The particular cleaning article 10 consists of ten layers 27 of strips 17. Each strip 17 is about 7 mm wide. All ten layers 27 are joined at the central junction 38. The four layers 27 adjacent and closest to the sheet 12 are also joined to the center junction by further junctions 38 arranged laterally outside the center junction 38.

The cleaning article 10 and two commercially available control samples of the present invention described above were tested. The first control sample was a WetJet bottom sheet sold by the assignee. These samples contained AGM and are generally considered disposable. The second control sample was a microfiber bottom sheet sold by Bona and is generally considered reusable for many cleaning operations. These two samples are believed to represent a wide range of disposable and reusable floor sheets.

Tests were performed on a 6 mm thick clear polycarbonate flexi-glass surface placed on a matte black card stock. For each sample tested, the gloss of this surface was measured using a BYK-Gardner gloss meter.

A BW-Gardner ™ 'Scrub' Abrasion Tester scrubbing machine was used for consistency between the samples. After the initial gloss measurement, the surface was treated with 2 ml of common cleaning solution, marketed as Swiffer brand as wetjet liquid and sprayed approximately equally over the subject surface. 200 grams of weight were placed on each sample. Each sample was cycled back and forth 50 times. The test surface was then allowed to air dry. The surface was tested for final gloss and each reading was subtracted.

Clay was not used for this test. Thus, the change in gloss indicates surface damage caused by the respective samples.

Four replicates were tested for each sample. To determine the effect on gloss, each replica was tested at three different locations on the test surface. The results are shown in Table 2. Thus, each entry for the change in gloss represents an average of twelve data points. The relative surface area of the sample was also determined.

TABLE 2

The data in Table 2 show that the microfiber samples, however, disadvantageously cause a significant reduction in gloss when tested as described above. Wetjet samples cause less gloss loss than those of microfiber samples. Gloss loss indicates that surface damage can occur by conventional cleaning on test surfaces that are not soiled. Without being bound by theory, it is believed that greater surface damage from microfiber samples may be due to the inclusion of relatively abrasive materials such as nylon.

Surprisingly, the sample of the present invention shows minimal gloss loss with a difference within almost standard deviation. Without being bound by theory, it is believed that less surface damage from microfiber samples can be attributed to the gain with moving strips 17 that provide a dynamic surface area to the subject surface in use.

The test was repeated using a 0.77 square meter RN 104577 Santos Mahogany engineered hardwood plank laminate wood flooring, distributed by Home Legend in Fontana, California, USA. It was. To this flooring was added clay containing about 2% Ultra Fine Dust (clay soil sold by PTI soils) suspended in a water / alcohol solution. About 2 ml of this solution was applied to the test surface using a paint roller and allowed to air dry. The clay was then rewet with 2 ml of cleaning solution. Each sample was then cycled 25 times back and forth on this flooring. The resulting gloss difference between the samples is shown in Table 3 below.

TABLE 3

Table 3 shows that even when there are more stringent tests with particulate clay on newer floor materials, the cleaning article 10 of the present invention minimized the possibility of surface damage compared to the control sample.

Referring to FIG. 8, the bona bottom sheet and the bottom sheet 10 according to the present invention were tested over 10 cycles each on the RN 104577 Santos Mahogany processed hard plank flank described above. The flooring was divided into two halves, each halves being used for one sample. The flooring was cleaned and the initial gloss was recorded. A solution of clay, oil and isopropyl alcohol was applied to the flooring and air dried. A commercially available wetjet cleaning liquid sold by the assignee was sprayed onto the test surface.

Each sample was tested with 8 back and forth wipes in each direction to span about 2.8 square meters, representing one cycle. After each cycle, the test surface was measured for both filming, ie the appearance of haze, and streaking. This process was repeated with the same sample until 10 cycles were completed.

8 shows that a commercially available bona microfiber sample showed both streaking and hazing above the subjective visible detection limit. Both properties generally increased in adverse directions throughout the test. In contrast, the cleaning article 10 according to the present invention advantageously exhibited both streaking and turbidity formation well below the visible detection limit (1 on a scaleless basis) over all 10 cycles.

The dimensions and values disclosed herein are not to be understood as being strictly limited to the exact numerical values recited. Instead, unless stated otherwise each such dimension is intended to mean both the stated value and a functionally equivalent range around that value. For example, a dimension disclosed as "40 mm" is intended to mean "about 40 mm."

All documents cited herein, including any cross-referenced or related patents or applications, are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety unless expressly excluded or otherwise limited. It is recognized that any citation of a document is prior art to any invention disclosed or claimed herein, or teaches any such invention, independently or in any combination with any other reference or references, It is not admitted to propose or initiate. In addition, if any meaning or definition of a term in this specification conflicts with any meaning or definition of the same term in the literature incorporated by reference, the meaning or definition given to that term in this specification shall prevail.

While particular embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, all such changes and modifications that fall within the scope of the invention are intended to be included in the appended claims.

Claims (15)

As a cleaning article for cleaning a target surface,
Comprises a nonwoven sheet,
A hydrophilic gather strip element is bonded to the nonwoven sheet at an elongate junction, the collection strip element comprising a plurality of overlapping layers folded on each other, the plurality of layers outward from the junction. Characterized by having strips extending to
Each layer of the collection strip element comprises a layer of cellulose fibers having a basis weight and a layer of polyolefin fibers having a basis weight, wherein the layer of cellulose fibers has a basis weight greater than the layer of polyolefin fibers. , Cleaning supplies. The cleaning article of claim 1 free of tow fibers. delete The cleaning article of claim 1, wherein the collection strip element comprises at least three overlapped layers. The cleaning article of claim 4, wherein the collection strip element comprises at least two independent sheets joined together at the junction. The cleaning article of claim 5, wherein at least one of the independent sheets of the collection strip element is z-folded over it. The cleaning article of claim 1, wherein the collection strip element comprises at least three independent sheets joined together at the joint, each of the sheets being serpentine folded. The cleaning article of claim 1, wherein the collection strip element comprises hydrophilic cellulose collection strips. The cleaning article of claim 8, wherein the collection strip element comprises a mixture of both cellulose fibers and polyolefin fibers. The cleaning article of claim 1, wherein the collection strip element has a first layer proximate to the sheet and an outer layer remote from the sheet, the first layer having a greater width than the outer layer. The cleaning article of claim 10, wherein the collection strip element has an inverted pyramid shape. delete The method of claim 1, further comprising an absorbent core positioned between the hydrophilic collection strip element and the nonwoven sheet, wherein the collection strip element has a collection strip element width that is greater than the absorbent core width, wherein the width is cleaned. Cleaning article corresponding to the transverse direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the article. 14. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising: a center junction for joining each layer of the collection strip element to the absorbent core and the nonwoven sheet; And two bonds on the outside of a central bond for bonding at least two layers proximate to the absorbent core to the nonwoven sheet rather than the absorbent core. 15. The cleaning tool as claimed in any one of claims 1, 2, 4 to 11, 13 and 14, wherein the cleaning article is removably attached to the cleaning tool, the cleaning tool being attached to the head and the head. A handle pivotably attached to the head, the head removably receiving the cleaning article.

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